Batwoman is breaking new ground for the Arrowverse with Ruby Rose exiting The CW drama after only 1 season as its series lead. Greg Berlanti's DC TV franchise saw the addition of Kate Kane back in 2018 with the Elseworlds crossover that introduced Gotham City into the shared universe. With Bruce Wayne/Batman being missing for years, Kate stepped in to take over as Gotham's protector when it needed a hero. Her introduction became a big addition to the Arrowverse's LGBTQIA representation with Legends of Tomorrow's White Canary (Caity Lotz), Black Lightning's Thunder (Nafessa Williams), Supergirl's Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) and several more.
While roles have been recast before in the Arrowverse, for present and even upcoming shows, such as Superman and Lois' Sam Lane now being played by Dylan Walsh instead of Supergirl's Glenn Morshower, Rose's departure marks new territory. From all the DC TV shows that have come since Arrow's start in 2012, none of the main leads have ever been recast. According to Rose's official statement, it was a tough decision in stepping down from the leading part while not specifying further on why she is departing. Per additional reports, Rose's reasoning for leaving Batwoman isn't related to the massive injury she suffered back in 2019 during the early days of production.
Even though Rose's decision seems to be on amicable notes, there may be a few other major factors that played a big part. While Rose's titular character became the first Arrowverse LGBT character to officially headline their own show, there were controversy sparked when she first landed the role. Back in August 2018 when Rose was officially cast, the decision was met with criticism from several fans of the comic heroine. One of the biggest complaints made about the casting was Rose not being Jewish like Batwoman in the comics. Rose's casting was received criticism in regards to her sexuality as the studio was looking to cast an openly LGBT actress for the part.
UPDATE: A report has revealed that pressures on set led to Ruby Rose's departure from Batwoman.
With Rose seeing herself as gender-fluid, it painted the star as not being "gay enough" to play the iconic Bat-heroine. The massive amount of comments on social media led to Rose leaving Twitter as well as restricting comments on her official Instagram page. While Rose has hit it with critics and viewers across Batwoman season 1, she has still received some negative criticism for her portrayal as Kate Kane. However, the decision to part ways is coming from both Rose and the creative team after having looked back at shooting season 1 together and its respective challenges. Despite it not being addressed in her departure announcement, it wouldn't be a surprise if the negative feedback played a role in Rose's decision to step down from the series.
There's only so much that anyone can take emotionally, especially from thousands and thousands of comments that are made online. Even if the decision had nothing to do with the stunt injury, it might be to take care of herself mentally which is fueling this decision. Only time will tell what other reasons there were for Rose to leave the Arrowverse after having starred as Batwoman for almost two years. The second season won't premiere until January 2021 as it remains to be seen when production can start again due to the Coronavirus pandemic. A new actress will be cast in the part and just like with Rose, the creative team is looking to find another openly gay actress to star starting in Batwoman season 2.